Police Say They 'Acted Appropriately' When Shooting 'ER' Actress Vanessa Marquez Dead

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Feb. 25 2019, Updated 11:44 a.m. ET

ER actress Vanessa Marquez was fatally shot by police in what seemed to be a verbal dispute with the star this Thursday. While Marquez's fans and loved ones bashed the cops for killing the allegedly innocent star, police are now defending themselves, saying they acted appropriately.

As RadarOnline.com has learned, one of the things that prompted police to shoot was that Marquez, 49, "armed herself" with what has now been identified as a BB gun when confronted by officers on the evening of her death.

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"We believe our officers acted appropriately under a tragic set of circumstances," City Manager Stephanie DeWolfe said in a statement.

"We support our officers and stand by them during this investigation. We believe the facts will show that our officers, along with a mental health professional, made every attempt to resolve the situation peacefully before the use of deadly force became necessary," she added.

"In the meantime, we are asking the public to be patient and wait until the facts of the case are confirmed before making judgments about the incident," DeWolfe said.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, police arrived at Marquez's California home after getting a call asking them to conduct a welfare check on an ill woman. When they entered the house, they found the actress was having a seizure. Afterwards, they tried to talk to her in order to calm her down and get her treatment but soon realized the blacklisted Hollywood star may had been suffering from mental health issues.